Spring-forming machine



Fehn 9 y t' T. F. BUCKLEY SPRING FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 9, 1924 g Sheets-5heet 1 Feb. 9 1926.

1,572,639 T. F. BUCKLEY 4 SPRING FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 9, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.l

SPRING-FORMING MACHINE.

Application filed October 9, .1924. Serial No. 742,598.

To all 107mm t lmay concern.'

Ble it known that I, THOMAS F. BUCKLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scranton, in the county of Iiackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a` certain new and useful` Improvement in Spring-Forming Machines, of which improvement the following is a specification.

vMy A present invention relates to spring forming machines of the general class or type set forth in LettersPatent of the United States llo. 1,275,377, granted to Samuel S. Riegel and myself, August 13, 1918 and Nos. 1,428,626 and 1,459,045, granted to me September 12, 1922, and June 19, 1923, respectively. The object of my invention is to further improve the means for operating the table and delivering the hot plate there-v from to an oil vat. v

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l1 is a plan or top View of a spring forming machine, illustrating an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a partial similar section, showing a structural modification; Fig. 4f, a plan view of a modified form of presser "blocks, Figs. 5 and 6, views, partly in ele- Vati-on, and partly in section, taken at a right angle one to the other, of one of said presser blocks; and, Fig. 7, a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a vertical guide for the drop section of the table.

In the practice Iof my invention, referring descriptively to the specific embodiment thereof which is herein exemplified, the leading and characteristic features of the means for bending orshaping' the plates are substantially similar to those of the several Letters Patent hereinbefore specified. Said bending means are located on the top of a table, 1, which is supported on, and overlies a portion of an oil tank, 17. They comprise, as heretofore, a rigid abutment inein-` ber, 1b, supporting abutment members, 9, a flexible resistance member, 7, and a cross head, 3, actuated by a piston, working in a cylinder, 2, fixed on the table, the outer end of the rod, 2b, of said piston, being secured to the cross head. The specified forming mechanism noted is not therefore claimed as of my present invention, and any other suitable and preferred form may `be applied Without departure therefrom.

In accordance with my present invention,

the'section, 1, ofthe table, upon which the spring plate rests, while and after it is bent to shape, is downwardly movable, either bodily, as in Fig. 2, or by being hinged or pivoted at one edge, as in Fig. 3. The object of affording the capacity of downward movement to this section, of the table, is to permit the shaped spring plates to be dropped into a bath of oil in the tank, 17 .f

Different specific means for effecting` this result'. may be adopted, Fig. 2, and another in Fig. 3. .v

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the movable section, 1d, of the table, is pivoted to the'upper end of the rod, 19a, of a piston, 19, which is fitted in a vertical cylinder, 18, located below the tank. Fluid under pressure, as steam or compressed air, is supplied to, and exhausted from, opposite ends of the cylinder, 18, through valve governed pipes, 18", opening thereinto. .The table section, l, is normally held in horizont-al position, by a spring, 19", but on being lowered in and by the downward movement of the piston,

19, it is brought `into contact with a `fixed,

one being shown in abutment, 19C, located in the oil tank`byl which contact it is tilted to an angle of about 45 degrees, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The spring plate which it carries, thereupon slides olf into the oil tank, falling upon a conveyor therein, by which it is carried upwardly through, and out of, the bath ofoil in the tank. The rectilinealtraverse of the movable table section, in its depression and its return to normal position, as well asits lateral supp-ort, are ensured by vertical guides, located adjacent to its ends, and com`- prising sections of steel tubing, 19d, pivotally conneeted to the table section, ld, and teleseoping in sections of tubing, 19e, secured Ion the bottom of the oil tank.

The `conveyor comprises a plurality of slats or bars, 20, extending transversely to the table, and carried by endless chains, 21,

which run over sprocket Wheels 22, at the upper and lower ends of their loops, and is actuated by a pinion, 23, having a ,pawl and ratchet connection `with the shaft `of the lower sprocket wheels, such asl indicated in' Fig. 3, and meshing with rack teeth, 19d, on the piston rod, 19a.

The alternative means for actuating the` movable table section and conveyor,.which is shown 'in Fig. 3, is of the following 'construction. The movable table section, 1d, is hinged to the main body of the table, and

carries an arm, 24, which is coupled, by a link,`25`, to the upper arm, 26, of a bell crank lever, journalled on a shaft, 27, eX- tending transversely in the oiltank.A The `lower arm, 28, of the bell crank lever, is

coupled, by a link,29, to a lever arm,f30, carrying a pawl, 31, which engages a ratchet wheel, 32, on the shaft, 33, carrying the lowery ends of the conveyor chains. The upper arm, 26, ofthe bell crank lever, is coupled, by links, to the'rod, 34, of a. piston,

working in a horizontal cylinder, 35, suprounded on its sides, ends, and' bottom, byv

ported'on the lower side of the table. It will be obviousk that other specific means for moving the table section' and Iactuating the conveyor, may be applied, without departure from the spirit of my invention.y k

`The oil tank, 17, is jacketed, orfv sui'- an outer casing, 17', which is provided and adapted for being` ykept filled with cold water, from any suitable source of supply. The oil in the tank, 17, 'naturally becomes overheated, and as the mere application of a water jacket, will not be adequate to sufliciently cool it, means are provided for circulating the heatedoil throughthe outer casing waterl jacket, r,175k pose, a pump, 36,' actuated by any suitabley For this jpurmotor, which is notsliown', is supported on a'. bracket, 36, below the'table, andvis pro- Vidediwith an inlet'pipe, 36h, opening into casing, and discharging into the oil tank,

the oil tank near its`top, and an outlet pipe, 86C, communicating with a connected lseries of coolingpipes, 37, extending through the space between the oil tank and its outer near the bottom thereof. A circulation of the'hotoilis thereby maintained, yandthe main body of oil is kept relativelycool.

Figs. 1, l, 5 and 6 ,illustrate an improvement in the presser blocks', `4, through which pressure is transmitted from the cross head',

3, to theV spring plates, in bendingythem to l the proper forms. As most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, cylindrical seats, Lia, ar-e formed on the presser blocks around which are wound coils of wire, 3S, wher'ebyi'they may be converted into electro-magnets. The

circuit, 39, of said coils, is connected to an automatic switch, 40, located in position to be opened andclosed by the cross head, 3,

in its reciprocating' movements, vthe circuit being closed when the crosshead moves back after forming aspring plate, whereby the,

magnetizedvpresser blocks draw back with them, the relativelycold l,formation plate",

leaving the .spring plate, if at the requisite temperature, onl the relatively Vcool movable table section. Should said spring; plate, however, be at a temperature belowqthat `required for Yits pioperhardening in the vmaintained during theoperation of the machine, subject to manual control, and the automatic switch be omitted. 'n

My invention provides a'machine for the shaping and tempering ofspring plates, by which the labor and expense of operation will be substantially reduced,without material structural cost, certain features ofthe invention being also applicable in machines of the older type.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 4

' l. In a spring-forming machine, the ycombination with an oil tank, a table above the same, and spring-shaping ineanson said table, of Va separate 'movable section in said table, means kto'raise and lower said section,

and means fixed in the tank to tilt said sec' tion as it is lowered.

2. In a'spring-formin machine, the combination with an oil tan a table above the same, and spring-shaping means on said table, of a section in said table capable of `being lowered into said tank and tilted,l a

conveyor in said tank, a common'm'eans'to actuate said.`section and conveyor, and means on the tank. to tilt said section as it is lowered. y

p 3. In a spring-forming machine, the com-V bination with an oil tank, and a table' comprising` a downwardly movable section on which the spring lis supported while beingv shaped,y ofmeans to raise and lower said section, and an abutment in said "tank Lto tilt said section as itis lowered.

4a Ina springforming machine, the combination of an `oil tank, a table/.above the same, spring-forming means on said table,

a power cylinder outside said tank, the

piston-,rod of which passesthi'ough a wall of the tank, a section of said table being downwardlymovable to deposit the inished springs in the tank, and connections between said section'and said piston-rod tofso move said section. i 'j 5.' In a spring-forming machine,the combination of an oil tank, a table above the' same, spring-forming means on said table', a power cylinder below saidtank,'the pistonrod vof which passes up intothe tank, a movable section of said table pivoted to the top of said lrod, and-an abutment in saidl tank to'V tilt said section as it is lowered by saidpiston-rod.

THOMAS F. V BUCILEY 

